The WRANGLER Horse and Rodeo News is an equine and rodeo publication with circulation in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota, Utah and Idaho.
Issue link: http://thewrangler.uberflip.com/i/1124089
June 5-19, 2019 • The WRANGLER, Horse and Rodeo News 3 Wri en by Hope Raley Senior RyLee Jo White is pu ng the final touches on her high school career before walking down the aisle to receive her diploma on May 28th. White is gradua ng from Star Valley High School in A on, Wyoming and intends to a end college in Wyoming where she plans to college rodeo. White's love for rodeo is a family shared passion and it runs deep in every genera on. White has a lot of cherished memories when it comes to rodeoing with family, including one where she, her mom and her dad were all crowned year end champions in their events. "I remember one year at the Evanston (Wyoming) rodeo series; I was the champion peewee barrel racer, my mom was the champion ladies barrel racer and my dad was the champion header in the team roping," explained White. "That was definitely a moment that I'll never forget." Riding horses and punchin' ca le since she was just a li le whippersnapper, White won her first saddle at the ripe age of 8. She spent the majority of her me at her grandparent's ranch in McKinnon, Wyoming where she rode the desert and helped her family work ca le. "My favorite part about spending me at my grandparent's was probably the branding days. All of the family would get together and it was a lot of fun." White's grandparents raise and sell purebred corriente ca le and White explains that being around that type of ca le has been a 'fun challenge'. White's career in the li le league of rodeo, junior rodeoing, was very successful and she saw many victories, mostly aboard her nana's good horse that went by the name of "Cashie". "I could do anything on Cashie," said White. "I ran barrels, poles and ed goats off of her. I won numerous buckles, 2 saddles and several all- around tles before high school." White, a natural born sports enthusiast, also had a love for basketball and volleyball, which she excelled greatly at each. Her freshman year of high school, White made the hard decision to chose volleyball and basketball over rodeo. When spring rolled around, White's family encouraged her to give high school rodeo a shot, so she became a member of the Utah High School Rodeo Associa on. "I had missed all the fall rodeos in Utah but we figured what the heck, so we decided that I would give it a try." White climbed aboard her mom's pro rodeo horse Captains Bodacious aka "Woody" and the new found team was cashing checks and turning heads in no me. "I started the spring rodeos with no points but we were in the top 10 in state before I knew it," said White. "I ran poles and barrels, and looking back on it, it was like a dream I was having. Utah is a very tough state for high school rodeo and White plans on attending college in Wyoming to Rodeo Woody and I were finding out groove quickly." White qualified for the Na onal High School Finals in the barrels and the poles and had accomplished a feat that no other high school student in Utah had ever accomplished- qualifying for na onals having only competed at the spring rodeos. White had a fantas c showing in Gille e at the high school finals and was crowned the NHSRA Rookie of the Year when it was all said and done. "It was a tle that many thought I would never accomplish. Woody was also crowned the Utah High School Rodeo Horse of the Year." White con nued to high school rodeo her sophomore and junior year and just barely missed the cut to get back to na onals. Unfortunately, she has been unable to rodeo her final year of high school rodeo but is looking forward to college rodeoing in the big state of Wyoming! "I'd like to thank my parents and all my family for being there for me. I know the Lord has his blessings on me as well, and I have learned many things through our great sport of rodeo."